


Strawberry Expectations

by NvrLndBoi



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Barista Alec Lightwood, College Student Alec Lightwood, College Student Magnus Bane, Getting to Know Each Other, Happy Ending, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Meet-Cute, Misunderstandings, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, communication is important, sfw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:00:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28050540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NvrLndBoi/pseuds/NvrLndBoi
Summary: Alec and Magnus face an internal battle when they activate each other's soul marks. In a world that expects you to dive headfirst with no helmet into a relationship with your soulmate as soon as you meet, can this pair find their footing?
Relationships: Magnus Bane & Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 16
Kudos: 51
Collections: The Malec Secret Santa - Edition 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheFoolsKnight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFoolsKnight/gifts).



> Greetings!
> 
> I hope your holiday season has been good.
> 
> My giftee honestly challenged me a bit with her request because she made me think of soulmates in a different light.
> 
> Thank you for the new perspective and challenge.
> 
> Enjoy.

“Please wait to the side, and your name will be called out shortly,” Alec directed as he handed the professor her receipt back. “It should only take five minutes.” 

“No worries, I’m just glad I made it before the evening rush.” she politely excused herself and went to the side to play on her phone while she waited. 

Alec turned and pressed the button so the order would pass over to Bat, who was working at the coffee machines today. He turned back and started to wipe down the counter. The customer had been right. In a few minutes, the 5 pm classes would release, and college students would flood the small college coffee shop. Alec knew he only had a short amount of time before that happened. 

“Excuse me, this isn’t peppermint, right?” 

A melodic voice pulled Alec from his thoughts, only for them to steal his breath. He knew those words. Not the voice attached them, but he knew those words, and had memorized them since the first time they had appeared on his shoulder blade. He recalled standing with his back to the bathroom mirror as his fingers swept over the intricate text. 

When Alec got the job at the small cafe, he knew that there would be a few times where he would hear that line and not be his soulmate. Alec was well aware of how common his soul mark’s words were when working during the holiday season. Still, this was the first time someone had spoken the words.

Alec looked up, finally to see who had said his words, and immediately felt his stomach start to flutter. The man in front of him looked to be around his age, and by the backpack slung over his back, he was a college student just like him. Alec tried not to make it evident while checking out the other student, but the way the other’s chocolate eyes followed his own assured Alec that the student had caught him. Alec quickly looked instead to where he was pointing and was glad to see that it was some of their sugar cookies with strawberries in them; the specks of red in the soft colored cookie often gave the impression of a candy cane flavor. 

“N-No strawberry, is that okay?” Alec cursed at himself when he stuttered his reply. Alec tried to reason with himself that there was still a high chance that the student wasn’t even his soulmate. But when Alec looked up to see them again, the other man’s wide eyes stared back at him. 

“Are you allergic to strawberries?” the man asked in a hurry. 

“No, they are my favorite fruit,” Alec found himself answering for some reason. He didn’t understand what was compelling him to this man. Alec didn’t know if it was the soul mark or himself trying to fool him into thinking he was lucky enough to find his soulmate on the first try. Alec shook himself back into reality and tried to mask his nerves. “Would you like one of the cookies with a drink?” 

“I’m Magnus,” the man, Magnus, replied instead, extending his hand out for Alec to shake. “You’re Alec, right?” 

Alec wondered for a second how Magnus knew his name and remembered he was at work and had a badge with his name on it. He took the offered hand and instantly understood why Magnus had acted so oddly and asked about strawberries. Alec felt a slight burn on his shoulder blade where his soul mark was and understood. 

“Look,” Magnus called out to Alec as he rolled up his sleeve and allowed him to stare at the shining text. 

**_‘N-No strawberry, is that okay?’_ **

Alec saw his response to Magnus, neatly displayed on the other’s arm. It still held a soft golden glow to it, from just having established the bond. 

“Dammit, Alec, only you could get yourself out of rush hour with a bond!” Bat cried out, annoyed behind him. “Go on, then. I’ll call Clary in to cover for you.” 

Alec was still trying to process what was happening and why Bat was yelling at him about the Bond Protection Act. His mind was buzzing from the events. Then he felt a small squeeze on his hand, and he started to focus back on Magnus. 

_ Magnus had his soul mark.  _

_ Magnus’ words were on his shoulder.  _

_ Magnus looked so beautiful with his slightly tinted blue hair styled perfectly, so that only a few strands fell over his eyes. _

Then the panic started to return. Alec had no clue what came next. Everyone talked about the moment they met their soulmate, but no one ever explained the steps between finding them and loving them. 

_ They surely couldn’t expect you to love a total stranger you just met. Right? _

Alec’s eyes kept shifting between Magnus and the mark still displayed on his soulmate’s arm. The golden glow had subsided entirely now, and all that was left behind was the neat black text clinging to Magnus’ arm. The words brought an indescribable warmth over Alec, but with it came the whispers of uncertainty on what was to come.  _ What ifs _ flooded Alec’s mind, robbing him of the small joy from the bonding. 

Alec shifted his eyes away from the other and stood frozen behind the counter. His mind riffled through every romcom Izzy forced him to consume, and came back empty. None of the movies had ever talked about what was supposed to happen now. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus had come in for a coffee and now had a soulmate because of it.

“Darling, are you okay?” Magnus asked as he looked at Alec, concerned. He hoped that the cafe employee was okay. He had come here looking for a pick me up after one of his professor’s monotone lectures and instead found his soulmate. “Alec?”

“Give him a moment,” the other attendant told him. “He’s free to go when you get him to move. Tell him not to worry about it; I will sign the witness papers if it comes to it.” 

Since the initiation of a soul bond could sometimes disorient the pair, the government had agreed with doctors and set a protection law that allowed freshly initiated soul bonds a leave for two days to balance themselves without repercussions. A witness was only necessary if someone thought a pair was faking a bond initiation to get free time off. It was rare, but some people were that deplorable. 

“You said my words,” Alec finally responded to him. “That was the first time anyone said them all in the correct order .” 

Magnus understood the meaning of that. He, too, had heard many variances of the words on his arm. Magnus had allowed himself to cling to them only for him to end up crushed when the person would utter ‘I don’t like them’ instead of ‘is that okay?’, or the one time Magnus had tightly held on only for the last word to be wrong. Magnus knew that a soulmate wasn’t something he needed in his life. On his own, Magnus was strong enough to survive if he ever happened to be one of the 33% of the population that never found their soulmate. Still, Magnus couldn’t help how his heart skipped a beat at Alec’s wide eyes and adorable expression when Alec looked at Magnus’ soul mark. 

The silent moment between them seemed to span, and as it did, Magnus watched as Alec’s expression turned to panic. He watched as the chime from the opening door startled Alec into the present. Magnus could hear the chattering of groups of customers starting to flood the cafe. He saw the way Alec began to rub the back of his neck and realized that this wasn’t the place they should have their conversation. Magnus lived on campus, but he didn’t want Alec to feel trapped in a room with him. 

Magnus started to hear the students and professors behind him lining up. His mind was racing, trying to come up with a neutral private area. It wasn’t till he heard someone behind him complain about forgetting their student ID, because of that they couldn’t access the library, that Magnus found the right location. 

“I think we should go somewhere else,” he offered, motioning to the people slowly starting to flood the small college cafe. “We can rent a room from the library to talk privately.” 

“Yeah. Let’s go,” Alec mumbled to him in response. 

Magnus watched as Alec grabbed some things from behind the counter and shoved his hat and name tag in a backpack. He followed Alec’s lead, and after an apologetic wave at Bat, they both headed out to the filled sidewalks. 

The silence continued between them as they both made their journey through the campus. Magnus stole glances at the other, observing how Alec was fidgeting with his backpack as they reached the library. He started to question if Alec was instead one of the rare few who never intended to meet their soulmate, and wondered if he had forced Alec to follow him out of pity. Magnus thought of how maybe his soulmate was only following him so that Alec could reject him in private. 

He opened the grand library entrance for Alec, while offering him a small smile.

“Thank you,” Alec softly responded as he entered the building. 

Magnus followed after him and felt his heart start to summersault again from Alec’s shy smile. Even if Alec didn’t want to explore the bond romantically, Magnus silently hoped Alec would at least entertain the idea of a friendship. Magnus wouldn’t mind the idea of being friends; if he was honest, he preferred to know Alec before starting a relationship, but he would honor and accept whatever Alec offered him. He had witnessed what happened when a soulmate bond was forced and twisted into love. Magnus refused to put Alec through that. 

“Study room for two, please,” Magnus said as he handed the library assistant his student ID. “They need yours as well.” 

He watched as Alec jumped once again and shuffled quickly to retrieve his card from his back pocket. 

“Sorry. Here you go,” Alec apologized, as he handed his card over to the clerk. 

“No worries, at least you both have your IDs.” She took their cards and started to input their data. “I’ve had people come in here thinking we would rent them books or rooms with only their ID number and not the ID itself. Alright, you two have one hour in room 25; it’s the last one on the left down the hall. If you need it for longer, only one of you has to come back to renew it for another hour. Both of you can keep doing so, unless we have a queue.” 

“Thank you,” they both chorused, causing them to stare at each other for a second.

“Shall we?” Magnus took the red card the clerk gave them to put outside the door. He watched as Alec nodded and made his way to the room. Magnus could feel his stress rising. He had always been confident when he did things, but this was uncharted territory, and he was afraid of sinking. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now with both boys in private, can they figure out what they want from this bond?

They both entered the room, shutting the door behind them after placing the red card on the small outside sleeve. 

Alec looked around the room and took in the window wall framing the door they entered. He assumed it was glass, so no students got any creative ideas while using the spaces. Alec watched his soulmate close the door and enter the room. 

Magnus was trying his best to calm himself. The walk from the cafe to the library hadn’t been as soothing as he thought it would be. Magnus placed his backpack on the wooden table and pulled one of the four chairs out for himself. He drew the bag close to himself and looked up at Alec. 

“I don’t know how this normally goes, if I’m honest,” Magnus confessed, as he watched Alec take his seat across from him. “Better introductions might help us get started. I’m Magnus Bane. I’m a sophomore and currently live on campus. I’m happy you aren’t allergic to strawberries.” 

“I’m Alec Lightwood,” Alec responded, relieved that Magnus had taken the lead in the conversation. He wasn’t precisely uncomfortable with the situation; he just didn’t know what to do, “I’m a freshman but a sophomore in credits. I live off-campus with my twin sister and our brother. I still don’t understand why you keep saying the stuff about a strawberry allergy.” 

“Well, darling,” Magnus replied, watching the way Alec slightly blushed at the endearment, “When I first got my soul mark, my dearest friends thought it was funny to put in my head all of the scenarios in which I could meet you. Ragnor and Raphael used to be fond of teasing me about eating strawberries, telling me to enjoy them while I could, in case your line meant you were allergic to them.” 

Alec found himself laughing at Magnus’ statement. Jace had attempted the same with him, but he had always thought it just meant his soulmate didn’t enjoy the taste of peppermint. 

“Just to be clear, I do like strawberries,” Alec replied while trying to suppress his laughter. “I take it you don’t like peppermint, though, or are you allergic?” 

“I like some peppermint stuff, but I’m not keen on it being in my baked goods,” Magnus explained. He found himself staring at Alec and the way his eyes would crease a bit when he laughed. Magnus had been afraid that his soulmate would proceed to reject him as soon as the door shut. Instead, Alec was indulging him and enjoying himself. The conversation seemed easy; sure, it was awkward, but it didn’t feel forced. 

“Wait! Lightwood related to Isabelle Lightwood?” Magnus asked as he recalled one of the girls in his Design Study class. Now that Magnus had a better look at Alec, he could see the girl and Alec’s resemblance. 

“That’s my younger twin sister,” Alec proudly confirmed. “Are you in the fashion design program as well?” 

“Yes, I had to do the introduction course this semester since I didn’t know they only offered it during the Fall and not Spring last year,” Magnus explained. He started to feel more at ease as the conversation flew by. The thought of Alec rejecting him was still present in Magnus’ mind, but it was like a faraway echo now. “What are you studying?”

“I am going for a bachelors in education,” Alec answered. He stopped fidgeting with his backpack and risked another look at his soulmate. Alec still couldn’t believe this was who fate had decided was destined for him. He noticed how it wasn’t just his hair that Magnus styled to perfection. Alec noticed his soulmate’s nails as he drummed them on the table. Magnus had painted them with a deep blue that matched the intricate designs on Magnus’ white shirt. “So you want to be a fashion designer?”

“That’s the dream,” Magnus answered. “So you have two siblings and want to be a teacher?” 

“Three, I am the oldest,” Alec smiled at the turn the questions were taking. Talking about his family or degree were things he was capable of doing. “I want to be a child counselor. I am double majoring in education and psychology.” 

“Wow!” Magnus exclaimed, surprised by Alec’s ambition. He was already buried in course work and intimidated by his degree plan. Magnus couldn’t imagine adding another degree to it as well. 

“It can be a bit much at times, but it will be worth it,” Alec smiled as he explained. “Honestly, I am surprised I was able to meet my soulmate. Izzy and Jace kept teasing me that with the amount of time I spend in the library or study center, my soulmate had to be either a librarian or someone at the center itself.”

“Guess we have my economics professor to thank for that,” Magnus teased. “If he hadn’t driven me so close to slumber, I wouldn’t have gone to your work and met you.”

“Mr. Starkweather?” Alec asked. He attended an economics course, too, so Alec wondered if Magnus had the same teacher but a later class. 

“You have him too?” 

“Sadly,” Alec responded with a grimace. “I don’t understand why he hands out so many reading assignments. He is the only professor that uses the textbook. Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad we are at least getting to use the ninety dollar thing.” 

“Ninety? Mine was over a hundred! Where did you get yours?” Magnus asked. The book had initially been two hundred dollars, and he had found it online for almost half that price. Magnus had searched for a full week, convinced he had the cheapest option. 

“I got lucky one of Izzy’s friends was a sophomore and took the class last year,” Alec explained triumphantly. “She needed the money for some new books, and the school store was only going to give her fifty for it.” 

“Lucky!” Magnus agreed. He enjoyed this side of Alec and wouldn’t mind getting to explore more of it. “Is your cafe work part of work-study?” 

“Yeah, I was hoping the library would be hiring, but you can’t be picky with work-study since they take it if you don’t use it in time,” Alec groaned. When the semester started, he had hoped that he could get a position as a library assistant or even a book sorter but no luck. “Serving coffee isn’t so bad. The worst part is getting yelled at cause you put one too many ls or ms in someone’s name on the cup.” 

“People yell at you for that?” 

“Not often but once or twice we’ve served customers like that. Bat just smiles at them while they yell and have their tantrum. It scares and frustrates them that he won’t respond,” Alec smiled as he recalled the man who just gave up and left with his drink. He heard as Magnus chuckled at his story and decided that he really wanted to listen to that sound again. Magnus’ laughter, even as a chuckle, was beautiful. The fear and uncertainty of having met his soulmate had subsided and in its place was excitement. Alec wanted to get to know this man more. “Do you have work-study?”

“Yes, but I’m the lucky one this time; I work at the dorms as the person who signs in people who want to visit the residents,” Magnus smiled and started to play with his rings. “I do get my share of problematic people, though.” 

“Let me guess they forget their student ID?” 

“They forget their student ID,” Magnus confirmed with another chuckle. “It’s even worse because we can also accept their driver’s license or state ID but guess what? They usually don’t have those either! I swear what person goes to campus and doesn’t think to bring some form of identification.” 

Alec smiled as he watched Magnus rant about his work. He started to think that maybe he could see a future with Magnus. Not immediately a romantic one, but Alec wanted to see where his soulmate could lead him.

“I think our hour is about to run out,” Magnus stated, looking at his phone. “We can ask for another hour if you want?” 

“I can’t.” Alec regretfully answered. He knew it was a mistake when he saw the way Magnus’ eyes lost some of their previous shine. Alec truly wanted to spend more time with Magnus. But he was supposed to pick up Jace from some art exhibit he attended because of a girl. 

“I understand,” Magnus smiled at him and tried his best to hide his disappointment. Magnus thought he could talk Alec into giving them a chance, but perhaps he had spoken too much. Magnus stopped himself before his mind dove too deep into those thoughts. If his soulmate didn’t want him as he was, Magnus wouldn’t betray himself. He refused to change himself for anyone else but his own whims. “Hope we can hang out again soon.” 

Alec watched frozen as Magnus started to move away from the table and straighten himself up. He realized Magnus hadn’t understood what he meant and that had been partially his fault. Alec knew he didn’t always pick the best words to express himself. Magnus was already pushing his chair back in, when Alec heard the tender statement. 

_ ‘We are Lightwoods, big brother. We break noses and accept the consequences.’  _

He didn’t know if his little sister’s words applied right now, but he refused to let Magnus walk out of there, believing Alec had no intention of seeing him again. Maybe there was a chance that he was misreading this, and Magnus was relieved that Aled didn’t ask him to stay longer, but Alec was willing to accept the outcome if that was the case. 

“I was wondering if you would like to come out to a small show with my siblings and some friends tomorrow,” Alec took the chance and reached out to grab Magnus’ sleeve as he spoke. Alec had pulled his backpack off the table in a quick motion and spilled some of his things. None of that mattered to him right now, though. His focus was entirely on Magnus right now. 

“I don’t know what the proper etiquette for soulmates is, but I would like to see you again.” 

Magnus stopped, turning to look at Alec in shock. He had been so sure that the other had just politely rejected him. Magnus had never been so glad to be proven wrong about something. 

“I don’t think there is a proper etiquette,” Magnus answered as he turned to face Alec properly. He could see the sincerity in Alec’s eyes and knew he wasn’t doing this out of pity for his soulmate. “I think we should just do what feels right for both of us. I want to see you again as well, darling.” 

Magnus watched as the light blush returned to his soulmate’s face and relished in the fact that he had caused it. He was still in uncharted territory, but it seemed less scary with Alec beside him. 

“I’m not asking for a date, I think that’s too soon for us, but I would like the chance to get to know you,” Magnus continued with his newfound bravery, “maybe we could start as friends and see where that takes us?” 

“Yes,” Alec immediately responded and decided that honesty was his best bet now. “I know everyone says that once you meet your soulmate, your whole life and relationship will just fall into place, like some sort of fairy tale ending. While that sounds nice, I want to know the person better before I jump into anything.”

“So we'll go slow, get to know each other first, and go from there,” Magnus reiterated. 

“My sister’s boyfriend has a show coming up,” Alec stated, rubbing the back of his neck. “He isn’t great, but the food at the bar he is playing at is good. I-I don’t mean like a date, but maybe we could talk more there?” 

“I’m sure if your sister is dating him, he can’t be that bad of a musician,” Magnus teased. “If you tell me the day, I can check, since I do have some evening classes.” 

“It’s tomorrow,” Alec provided and remembered Magnus lived on campus so probably didn’t have a car. “I could pick you up? You could invite some of your friends as well.” 

“Friday is one of my easy days. I should be able to make it,” Magnus eagerly agreed and noticed a paper that had fallen from Alec’s backpack. He kneeled and picked up the sheet, seeing something interesting in passing it. Magnus stood back up, sporting a smirk, and handed the paper back to Alec. “Here you go,  _ Alexander _ .” 

Alec’s hand stopped mid-reach when he heard his full name. He had never liked how his name sounded when others called him, but Magnus made it sound like a gentle call home, rather than the scolding he expected. Alec picked up his bag and took the sheet, still stuck on the way his name sounded coming from Magnus’s lips.

“As much as I would love to associate seeing you with coffee, I think it is better if we exchanged numbers,” Magnus suggested as he watched Alec stuff everything back into his backpack. Magnus noticed how Alec’s ears had turned red from him saying his full name. Magnus didn’t know still where things were going with Alec, but he knew his soulmate interested him. Not just as someone he could see himself dating - though that was a desirable option - but as someone who Magnus wanted to keep in his life. 

“Here,” Alec held up a small piece of paper to Magnus. “I usually keep my phone on silent, but I check it often.” 

“No worries, darling. I promise not to text you during your classes,” Magnus teased as he took the paper and retrieved his phone from his pocket. He quickly sent off a text and saw Alec smiling, looking at his phone. “Now you have my number as well.”

“I promise not to text you during classes as well, though I don’t know when that is,” Alec offered and saved Magnus’ phone number. He looked at the clock on his phone and grimaced. As much as Alec wanted to keep talking and getting to know Magnus, he was already going to be ten minutes late to pick-up Jace. “I have to go, though. I promised Jace I would pick him up.” 

“No problem, Alexander,” Magnus smiled as he opened the door, seeing how once again Alec had slightly frozen when he used his full name. “I can stop using it, sorry.” 

“No! I d-don’t mind when you use it,” Alec stuttered and turned to the side a bit to hide the blush making its way up to his face. 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Magnus replied with a smirk and grabbed the red card from the door. “I’ll see you around, Alexander. Don’t be a stranger. Text me.” 

“I will,” Alec called out as Magnus waved. He knew his sister was going to ask him a million questions, but it was okay. Magnus was another topic Alec didn’t think he’d mind talking about. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credits:
> 
> I had a lot of fun with this exchange.
> 
> Thank you to the organizers and other participants for making it a good experience.


End file.
